Paul Pierce Article in LA Times

[rayofsunshine]

His hometown paper

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-streeter11-2008may11,1,5852226.column

[hiphop1]

Great read thanks man.

[MyInsatiableOne]

Great article...should shut everyone up about Pierce!

[greenbeans]

this horse is beyond beaten to death.

[SuperDeluxe]

this horse is beyond beaten to death.

Yes, but this is a great article anyway.

[campybatman]

I agree with the writer's sentiments. This is wrong... Just like how Cleveland fans regard Pierce in the spitting incident. What spitting incident? Was it ever proven that Pierce spat on anyone of the Cleveland players? I never saw any video just media hearsay.

But in this case, the NBA is making a judgment call on Pierce's intent, and that intent is unclear. The gesture in question looked much like an "OK" sign, his outstretched fingers tracing a B. It could have been a B for the Piru Bloods, an Inglewood gang. Then again, there are people all over the Celtics' hometown who use the sign, the B signifying pride in Boston.

And Pierce himself says he didn't mean the sign to have a gang connotation. The B, he said, is for his team's motto: Blood, Sweat and Tears. Maybe he's lying, maybe it's a rationalization, but backing him up are close observers of the team and several other Celtics.

The Celtics, they say, have been flashing this sign all season long and nobody has been called for a foul, nobody given a fine. Why now?

It would have been better if the NBA had handled this matter behind the scenes, Stern giving Pierce and his team a good warning. There's no indication that happened.

Because Stern made this a public punishment, Pierce has been unfairly branded a thug in certain corners of the madding crowd.